El Cid: Spanish history enjoys a right royal revamp | Film | The Guardian Reel history El Cid: Spanish history enjoys a right royal revamp Anthony Mann jousts fast and loose with the lives of Spain's medieval masters – resulting in seriously sublime cinema Dressed to kill … Charlton Heston (right) as Rodrigo Díaz in El Cid (1961), directed by Anthony Mann. Photograph: Allied Artists/Allstar/Cinetext Entertainment grade: A History grade: D Rodrigo Díaz was an 11th-century nobleman from Vivar in Castile. He is better known as El Cid, from the Arabic sidi or sayyid, meaning "the Lord". War Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar, El Cid. Photograph: Universal/Getty Images In 1080, when this film begins, the territory that is now Spain and Portugal was split between Christian and Muslim kingdoms . Emir Ben Yussuf ( Herbert Lom ) rouses the Muslim princes of the southern part, known as al-Andalus, to conquer the Christian north, some of which is known as León-Castile.

The film's Ben Yussuf is the historical Yusuf ibn Tashufin , commander of the Almoravid Empire . At his summons, Emir Yusuf al-Mutamin of Zaragoza (Douglas Wilmer) has a go at conquering part of León-Castile, but is captured by Rodrigo Díaz ( Charlton Heston ). When Díaz offers him freedom rather than death, al-Mutamin honours him with the name El Cid. According to the historical sources, al-Mutamin was not attempting to conquer León-Castile. His war was with his own brother and rival emir, Mundhir . Díaz and al-Mutamin are said to have become close when the former joined the latter's army as a mercenary in the early 1080s. Love Charlton Heston and Sophia Loren in El Cid (1961). Photograph: Moviestore Collection/Rex Features Díaz's girlfriend, Jimena (Sophia Loren), is upset with him for killing her father.

When he fights an Aragonese knight in an astonishingly good jousting scene (which took El Cid's enormous cast and crew five weeks to film), Jimena gives her colours to his rival. The bubbling hatred between Díaz and Jimena on screen is the stuff of historical fantasy, but it was real enough on set. At the beginning of filming, Heston found out that Loren was earning a $1m paycheque – substantially larger than his. He was so angry that he refused even to look at her in most of their scenes. This soon becomes amusing for the viewer. Politics King Ferdinand the Great of León-Castile dies, and divides his lands between his children Sancho, Alfonso and Urraca. This really happened 15 years earlier in 1065, but the film has bodged the timeline to heighten the tension. At the king's funeral, Sancho tries to kill Alfonso. Alfonso teams up with his sister Urraca, the two blond-haired siblings conspiring to reunite and rule the several kingdoms. They want gruff warrior Díaz on their side – but he won't do their bidding, for above all else he believes in honour.

All Alfonso and Urraca would need to do is indulge in a spot of incest and we'd be in Game of Thrones, perhaps because medieval history is George RR Martin's source material . El Cid's version of the warring heirs has elements of accuracy, though in real life Ferdinand made it even more complicated by having five children , all of whom variously went into battle against each other, allied with Muslim princes, had affairs with runaway Muslim princesses , hatched world-domination conspiracies and assassinated each other. If a couple of dragons and some ice zombies turned up, they could hardly make the 11th century more dramatic than it really was. More war Scene from the 1961 film El Cid, with Charlton Heston Photograph: Sportsphoto Ltd./Allstar Alfonso is defeated by Ben Yussuf at the battle of Sagrajas . Díaz saves the day for the Christians by taking Valencia – but Ben Yussuf turns his forces and besieges him there. The battle sequences along the beach to the castle of Valencia (represented on film by the 13th-century castle of Peñíscola ) are some of the most spectacular in Hollywood history.

Spain's military dictator Francisco Franco , who flattered himself that he might be compared to El Cid when this movie came out, loaned the film-makers 3,000 soldiers and 1,100 mounted police, plus their horses, to make up the 11th-century armies. Even more war The result was sublime cinema and awful history. Díaz did not, as in the film, take Valencia by giving bread to its people. According to the Historia Roderici , written probably around the middle of the 12th century, he ransacked surrounding villages, starved the city, "took it by assault", and seized all its riches. Díaz did not offer Valencia's crown to Alfonso, but ruled there himself. He did not die in agony from an arrow wound sustained in the defence of the city, but in 1099 during peacetime from an unknown cause. Also, Yusuf ibn Tashufin was not defeated. He led the Almoravids to victory at Valencia in 1102, when he was a sprightly 96 years old.

Verdict It leaves the facts wounded and strewn haphazardly across the battlefield, but El Cid remains a flat-out terrific movie. El Cid - National Hero of Spain - Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar El Cid was also known as: Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, Ruy Díaz de Vivar (also spelled Bivar), and El Campeador ("the Champion"). His title of "the Cid" comes from a Spanish dialect of Arabic, sidi, meaning "sir" or "lord," and was a title he acquired during his lifetime. El Cid was noted for: Being the national hero of Spain. El Cid displayed remarkable military ability in his conquest of Valencia, and after his death he became the subject of many legends, stories, and poems, including the 12th-century epic El cantar de mío Cid ("The Song of the Cid"). Occupations & Roles in Society: Died: July 10 , 1099 About El Cid: Born into minor nobility, Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar was raised in a royal household and was appointed the standard-bearer and commander of troops by Sancho II.

continue reading below our video 10 Facts About the Titanic That You Don't Know Fighting for Sancho against Sancho's brother, Alfonso, would prove awkward to Díaz when Sancho died childless and Alfonso became king. Though he lost some prestige, he married Alfonso's niece, Jimena; and, despite his presence serving as a magnet for Alfonso's opponents, Díaz served loyally for several years. Then, after leading an unauthorized raid into Toledo, Díaz was exiled. Diaz then fought for the Muslim rulers of Saragossa for almost 10 years, scoring significant victories against Christian troops. When Alfonso was defeated by the Almoravids in 1086, he recalled Diaz from exile, though the Cid did not stay in the kingdom for long. He embarked on a long campaign to take over Valencia, which he successfully captured in 1094 and ruled in Alfonso's name until he died. After his death, literature and poetry lionizing the Cid would obscure the facts of Díaz's life. For more information about El Cid's life and achievements, see your Guide's concise biography .

El Cid Resources: El Cid Essay - 768 Words El Cid Essay ...﻿The movie El Cid is the story of Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar of Spain. The story takes place 1,080 years after the coming of Christ between the Christians and Moors in Spain. African Emir Ben Yusuf is a Moor, who believed that the Prophet Allah had commanded them to rule the world. He wanted all the doctors to invent poisons for their arrows and scientists to invent new war machines to destroy the Christians. Rodrigo on his journey to his wedding day to Chimene... 1259 Words | 4 Pages The Poem of Cid Essay ...The Poem Of The Cid is a one of the only surviving documents (not to mention one of the most detailed) from 11th century Iberia. Though this is a story, and not one hundred percent accurate, many of the people and things written on have been confirmed. Because of both of these (its rarity and its validation) we can consider this to be an accurate reflect of what life was like at that time, covering class; and shall use it as if there were no fictional occurrences written...

2459 Words | 6 Pages El Cid Essay ...Rodriguez Diaz De Vivar “El Cid” Born and educated as a nobleman in the Royal Court of the Castile, Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar became a famous military leader and diplomat. He was King Alfonso VI's greatest general in the war against the Moors and is widely considered to be a National Hero of Spain. Known as El Cid Campeador (or El Cid), this honourable nickname translates as the 'Lord of Military Arts', or 'The... 438 Words | 2 Pages El Cid Essay ...The story of El cid There are three parts or cantos to the Poema del Cid. In the first part, Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, called Cid "El Cid Campeador" by the Moors(Sidi means My Lord in Arabic), is accused by Count García Ordóñez of holding back for himself tributes he was sent to collect from the Moors for his king Alfonso VI of León. Alfonso exiles Rodrigo from Leon and Castilla. He gave him 9 days to...

981 Words | 3 Pages Cantar de Mio Cid Essay ...Cantar de mio Cid (Song of the Cid) This anonymous poem Cantar de mio Cid is the great epic of medieval Spain. It’s one of the oldest Spanish historical documents in existence, and the only one that have survived almost completely intact. Only one copy of the Cid manuscript exists. Historians believe that this manuscript is a copy of the 1207 version, which may have been either the original or a copy of an even earlier... 932 Words | 3 Pages El Mio Cid Essay ...El Cantar del Mio Cid is the oldest preserved Spanish cantar de gesta. Formerly, it was transmitted only orally, but in 1142 it was written down by a certain Per Abbat. This copy is held as part of a 14th century codex in the Biblioteca Nacional de España (National Library) in Madrid. However, it is incomplete. The first page and two others in the middle are missing. It is written in medieval Spanish, the ancestor of modern Spanish. Its current title is a modern...

629 Words | 2 Pages the Characters in Le Cid Are Extremists Prepared, at Whatever Cost, to Live Up to Their Convictions. Do You Agree with This Comment on the Play? Essay ...'The characters in Le Cid are extremists prepared, at whatever cost, to live up to their convictions.' Do you agree with this comment on the play? “Pierre Corneille’s Le Cid focuses on a legendary hero of eleventh-century Spain and his feats of heroism, chivalry and honour. But a more pervading element of this play, one that is acted out by not only the protagonist but many other characters is that of sacrifice” . Having been set in the Seventeenth Century it... 1528 Words | 4 Pages Le Cid Essay ...Pierre Corneille's Le Cid focuses on a legendary hero of the twelfth century Spain, and his feats of heroism, rivalry, and honour. It is Corneille's opinion that dramatic poetry is a portrayal of the actions of men, that is to say, his writing was intended to depict, or imitate the actions of men.

But a more pervading definition that is evident in the play, is that man's actions are the result of fate, not of man's own will or action. It seems that Corneille's primary... 1074 Words | 3 Pages Rodrigo - Baby Boy Name Meaning and Origin | Oh Baby! Names Rodrigo Sensual Etymology & Historical Origin - Rodrigo Rodrigo is the Spanish, Portuguese and Italian form of Roderick. Roderick comes from the ancient German masculine name Hroderich which is comprised of the Germanic elements “hrōd” (‘fame’) and “rīc” (‘power’). The name Rodrigo was brought to the Iberian Peninsula by way of the conquering Visigoths, a Germanic tribe who displaced the Vandals in the late 5th century AD. A famous name bearer was Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar (more commonly known as “El Cid”). El Cid was "The lord, master of military arts" in the 11th century Castilian Kingdom during the Moorish occupation of the Iberian Peninsula. He was instrumental in the fight against the Muslim Moors and eventually recaptured the Spanish coastal city of Valѐncia.

After his death, his beautiful wife Ximena would rule the city for a few more years until it once again fell to the Muslims. Another notable bearer was King Rodrigo, the last Visigothic king of Hispania in the 8th century (before the Iberian Peninsula fell to the Moors). The name Rodrigo continues to be ranked high in Spain and Mexico as well as Chile. Popularity of the Name Rodrigo Rodrigo first appeared on the U.S. male naming charts in 1962. The name has increased in popularity for the past 50 years slowly and methodically (particularly as the Latino populations have grown in the U.S.). Rodrigo is currently ranked as the 25th most popular boy’s name in Mexico, so we were a little surprised to see the name used only sparingly among the Spanish-speaking populations of America. Rodrigo (like Gustavo) is one of those rare examples of Germanic names left over from the Visigoths’ occupation and eventual assimilation into Hispano-Roman Iberian Peninsula. Many Spanish names (like English names) are taken from the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament (Greek) where they were Latinized and anglicized.

Names of Germanic origin are distinctly different and therefore quite interesting. Instead of telling Biblical stories, the Germanic names tell stories of the Migration Period during which time various Germanic tribes conquered and occupied various parts of Europe. Rodrigo is a name that is part of that story. He tells the story of ‘famous power’. Popularity of the Boy Name Rodrigo You need Adobe Flash Player 6 (or above) to view the charts. It is a free and lightweight installation from Adobe.com. Please click here to install the same. Cultural References to the Baby Name - Rodrigo Literary Characters of the Baby Name Rodrigo Rodrigo (The Vision of Don Roderick) The Vision of Don Roderick is an 1811 poem by Sir Walter Scott about the last Visigothic King of Spain Rodrigo’s legendary vision (Rodrigo’s name was anglicized to Roderick by the Scottish poet). In the poem, the king goes inside a magical chamber where, according to legend, the future will be exposed but only to the “last” King of Spain. Amidst his military campaign against the Moors, the king enters the magnificent marble chamber and sees two giant bronze statues on either side of the hall.

One statue is holding an hourglass which instantly runs out of sand, while the other giant statue hurls a scepter at a far wall which immediately displays a movie-like panorama revealing the future of Spain. It foretells the imminent conquest by the Moors (8th century); the Spanish Inquisition (15th century) and the Napoleonic conquest of Portugal (around the time this poem was written, between 1807 and 1814). It also revealed how the British would come to the aid of the Portuguese and help liberate them. The proceeds from the sale of the poem were used to help fund the Portuguese but also to provide inspiration for a victorious outcome. Popular Songs on Rodrigo Don Rodrigo - an opera by Alberto Ginastera Rodrigo - an opera by George Frideric Handel Children's Books on the Baby Name Rodrigo Maisy y Rodrigo van al dentist (Lucy Cousins) - The Spanish edition of Maisy and Rodrigo Go to the Dentist. Review unavailable at this time. Recommended for ages 3-6. Rodrigo the Adventurer (Don Gordon) - Rodrigo is a spider who has tired of his humdrum life, struggling to find enough to eat in the bushland where he lives.

He decides to move across the road to the back garden of my house. Once settled in there he begins to ponder how to make an even better future for himself. For a start he wants to rid himself of fear. He knows that his greatest fear is of birds. This is natural for a spider but he knows it is holding him back so he decides to do something about it. Rodrigo gains enormous benefits and life-changing experiences from facing this and other fears. Kindle edition. Recommended for ages 7-10. Famous People Named Rodrigo Famous People Named Rodrigo - Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar (aka El Cid); King Rodrigo (last Visigothic king of Spain); Rodrigo López (baseball); Rodrigo Sánchez (Mexican musician); Rodrigo Baldasso da Costa (soccer player known simply as Rodrigo); Rodrigo García (director); Rodrigo Borgia (Pope Alexander VI) Children of Famous People Named Rodrigo Famous People Who Named Their Son Rodrigo - We cannot find any celebrities or famous people who have named their child Rodrigo. Search Baby Names Watch Videos Online | El Cid | Veoh.com Flag Video What are you seeing?

If you are the copyright owner of this video and believe the video has been uploaded without your permission, please submit a copyright infringement notice . Tell us more: Please select a reason why this video should be flagged. Link: Embed: <object width="410" height="341" id="veohFlashPlayer" name="veohFlashPlayer"><param name="movie" value=""></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="410" height="341" id="veohFlashPlayerEmbed" name="veohFlashPlayerEmbed"></embed></object><br /><font size="1">Watch <a href="">El Cid</a> in <a href="">Drama</a> | View More <a href="">Free Videos Online at Veoh.com</a></font> El Cid | Weapons and Warfare Weapons and Warfare History and Hardware of Warfare Search El Cid (Original) by Roger Payne (c.

1043–1099) medieval Spanish warrior The title El Cid was given to a Spanish early medieval war- rior called Rodrigo (or Ruy) Díaz de Vivar, also known as El Campeador (“the Champion”). After his death, he became a folk hero with many Spanish ballads written of his rise from obscurity to lead the Castilians against the Moors. He was born at Vivar, near Burgos, in the kingdom of Castile; his father a minor Castilian nobleman, but his mother was well connected and ensured that from a young age he attended the court of King Ferdinand I as a member of the household of king’s eldest son, Sancho. When Sancho succeeded his father as King Sancho II of Castile, he appointed the 22-year-old Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar as his standard bearer as he had already achieved a reputation for valor in battle, taking part in the Battle of Graus in 1063.

When Sancho attacked Sargasso in 1067, Rodrigo accompanied him and took part in the negotiations that led the ruler of Sargasso, al-Muqtadir, to acknowledge the overlordship of Sancho. In 1067 Sancho went to war with his brother Alfonso VI, who had been left the kingdom of León. Some ballads portray El Cid as unwilling to support this invasion, which went against the will of Ferdinand I, but he was likely a willing participant. During the following five years El Cid was a vital military leader on behalf of Sancho. Sancho was killed when laying siege to Zamora. Alfonso, deposed from León, was the heir, and the new king found himself in a difficult political position. Count García Ordóñez, a bitter enemy of El Cid, became the new standard bearer, but El Cid was able to remain at court, as Alfonso did not want such a tough opponent. It was probably Alfonso who planned the marriage of El Cid to Jimena, daughter of the count of Oviedo. They had a son, Diego Rodriguez, and two daughters.

In 1097 Diego was killed in battle in North Africa. Castilians who had supported Sancho were naturally nervous about Alfonso’s becoming king, and these simmering resentments began to be expressed through El Cid, who served as a conduit for them. In 1079 El Cid was sent to Seville on a mission to the Moorish king. Coinciding with this trip, García Ordóñez aided Granada in their attack on Seville, but El Cid defeated the forces from Granada at Cabra, capturing García Ordóñez. His easy victory gained him enemies at court. When El Cid attacked the Moors in Toledo (who were allied to Alfonso), the king exiled him, and although he returned some years later, he was never able to remain for long. El Cid went to work for the Moorish king of Sargasso, serving him and his successor for several years. This gave him a better understanding of Muslim law, which would help him in his later career.

In 1082 he led the forces of Sargasso to victory over the Moorish king of Lérida and the count of Barcelona; two years later, undefeated in battle, he defeated the forces of the king of Aragon, Sancho Ramirez. When the Almoravids from Morocco invaded Spain in 1086 and defeated Alfonso’s army, the two were briefly reconciled but soon afterward El Cid returned to Sargasso and did not help prevent the Christians from being overwhelmed. Instead El Cid focused his attention on becoming the ruler of Valencia. This required political machinations and El Cid had to reduce the influence of other neighboring rulers. The importance of the counts of Barcelona came to an end when Ramon Berenguer II’s forces were decisively defeated at Tebar in May 1090 by El Cid’s Christian and Moorish forces. El Cid then utilized loopholes in Muslim law when Ibn Jahhaf killed al-Qadir, the ruler of Valencia.

He besieged the city, which was controlled by Ibn Jahhaf, and when an Almoravid attempt to lift the siege in December 1093 failed, the city realized it could not hold out for much longer, and in May 1094 it surrendered. El Cid then proclaimed himself the ruler of Valencia, serving as the chief magistrate and governing for both Christians and Muslims. In law El Cid still owed fealty to Alfonso VI, but in practice he was totally independent of the king. El Cid’s victories encouraged many Christians to move to Valencia and a bishop was appointed. El Cid ruled Valencia until his death on July 10, 1099. Had El Cid’s only son survived him, there would have been a dynasty, and possibly a new royal house. However that was not the case, and Valencia was ruled by Muslims again until 1238. As he had never been defeated in battle, the story of El Cid, with increasing literary license, became a great ballad for Christians, who overlooked his years working for Moors and hailed him as the hero for the “Reconquista”—the retaking of Spain from the Moors.

Further reading: Barton, Simon, and Richard Fletcher. The World of El Cid. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2000; Clissold, Stephen. In Search of the Cid. London: Hod- der & Stoughton, 1965; Fletcher, Richard. The Quest for El Cid. London: Hutchinson, 1989. Share this: El Cid El Cid Diego Laínez Signature Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar (c. 1040 – 1099), better known as El Cid, or simply Rodrigo, was a Castilian nobleman and military leader in medieval Spain . The Moors called him El Cid, which meant the Lord, and the Christians , El Campeador, which stood for Outstanding Warrior. He was born in Vivar , a town near the city of Burgos . After his death, he became Castile’s celebrated national hero and the protagonist of the most significant medieval Spanish epic poem, El Cantar de Mio Cid .

[1] Born a member of the minor nobility, El Cid was brought up at the court of King Ferdinand the Great and served Ferdinand’s son, Sancho II of León and Castile . He rose to become the commander and royal standard-bearer (armiger regis) of Castile upon Sancho’s ascension in 1065. Rodrigo went on to lead the Castilian military campaigns against Sancho’s brothers, Alfonso VI of León and García II of Galicia , as well as in the Muslim kingdoms in Al-Andalus . He became renowned for his military prowess in these campaigns, which helped expand Castilian territory at the expense of the Muslims and Sancho’s brothers’ kingdoms. When conspirators murdered Sancho in 1072, Rodrigo found himself in a tight spot. Since Sancho was childless, the throne passed to his brother Alfonso, the same whom El Cid had helped remove from power. Although Rodrigo continued to serve the Castilian sovereign, he lost his ranking in the new court which treated him at arm’s length and suspiciously. Finally, in 1081, he was ordered into exile.

[2] El Cid found work fighting for the Muslim rulers of Zaragoza , whom he defended from their traditional enemies, Aragon and Barcelona . While in exile, he regained his reputation as a strategist and formidable military leader. He repeatedly turned out victorious in battle against the Muslim rulers of Lérida and their Christian allies, as well as against a large Christian army under King Sancho Ramírez of Aragon. In 1086, an expeditionary army of North African Almoravids inflicted a severe defeat to Castile, compelling Alfonso to overcome the resentments he harbored against El Cid. The terms for the return to the Christian service must have been attractive enough since Rodrigo soon found himself fighting for his former Lord. Over the next several years, however, El Cid set his sights on the kingdom-city of Valencia , operating more or less independently of Alfonso while politically supporting the Banu Hud and other Muslim dynasties opposed to the Almoravids. He gradually increased his control over Valencia; the Islamic ruler, al-Qadir , became his tributary in 1092.

When the Almoravids instigated an uprising that resulted in the death of al-Qadir, El Cid responded by laying siege to the city. Valencia finally fell in 1094, and El Cid established an independent principality on the Mediterranean coast of Spain. He ruled over a pluralistic society with the popular support of Christians and Muslims alike. [3] El Cid’s final years were spent fighting the Almoravid Berbers . He inflicted upon them their first major defeat in 1094, on the plains of Caurte, outside Valencia, and continued resisting them until his death. Although Rodrigo remained undefeated in Valencia, his only son, and heir, Diego Rodríguez died fighting against the Almoravids in the service of Alfonso in 1097. After El Cid’s death in 1099, his wife, Jimena Díaz , succeeded him as ruler of Valencia, but she was eventually forced to surrender the principality to the Almoravids in 1102. To this day, El Cid remains a Spanish popular folk-hero and national icon.

Numerous plays, films, folktales, songs, and even video games continue to memorialize the traditions of allegiance that his allegories typify. Contents 14 Εxternal links Title First paragraph of the Carmen Campidoctoris , the earliest literary treatment of El Cid’s life, written by a Catalan partisan to celebrate El Cid’s defeat of Berenguer Ramon The name El Cid ( Spanish: ) is a modern Spanish denomination composed by the article el meaning “the” and Cid which comes from the Old Castilian loan word Çid from the dialectal Arabic word سيد sîdi or sayyid , which means “Lord” or “Master”. The Mozarabs or the Arabs that served in his ranks may have addressed him in this way, which the Christians may have transliterated and adopted. Historians, however, have not yet found contemporary records referring to Rodrigo as Cid. Arab sources use instead Rudriq, Ludriq al-Kanbiyatur or al-Qanbiyatur (Rodrigo el Campeador). [4] The cognomen Campeador derives from Latin campi doctor, which means “battlefield master”.

He probably gained it during the campaigns of King Sancho II of Castile against his brothers King Alfonso VI of León and King García II of Galicia . While his contemporaries left no historical sources that would have addressed him as Cid, they left plenty of Christian and Arab records, some even signed documents with his autograph, addressing him as Campeador, which prove that he used the Christian cognomen himself. [5] [6] [7] [8] The whole combination Cid Campeador is first documented ca. 1195 in the Navarro-Aragonese Linage de Rodric Díaz included in the Liber Regum under the formula mio Cid el Campeador. Life and career Origins El Cid was born Rodrigo Díaz circa AD 1043 in Vivar , also known as Castillona de Bivar, a small town about six miles north of Burgos , the capital of Castile . His father, Diego Laínez, was a courtier , bureaucrat , and cavalryman who had fought in several battles. Despite the fact that El Cid’s mother’s family was aristocratic , in later years the peasants would consider him one of their own.

However, his relatives were not major court officials; documents show that El Cid’s paternal grandfather, Lain, confirmed only five documents of Ferdinand I ‘s; his maternal grandfather, Rodrigo Alvarez, certified only two of Sancho II ‘s; and El Cid’s father confirmed only one. Service under Sancho II As a young man in 1057, Rodrigo fought against the Moorish stronghold of Zaragoza , making its emir al-Muqtadir a vassal of Sancho. In the spring of 1063, Rodrigo fought in the Battle of Graus , where Ferdinand’s half-brother, Ramiro I of Aragon , was laying siege to the Moorish town of Cinca, which was in Zaragozan lands. Al-Muqtadir, accompanied by Castilian troops including El Cid, fought against the Aragonese. The party slayed Ramiro I, setting the Aragonese army on the run, and emerged victorious. One legend has said that during the conflict, El Cid killed an Aragonese knight in single combat , thereby receiving the honorific title Campeador.

When Ferdinand died, Sancho continued to enlarge his territory, conquering both Christian strongholds and the Moorish cities of Zamora and Badajoz . When Sancho learned that Alfonso was planning on overthrowing him in order to gain his territory, Sancho sent Cid to bring Alfonso back so that Sancho could speak to him. Service under Alfonso VI Marcos Giráldez de Acosta painting (1864) depicting the “ Santa Gadea Oath”. In the middle of the scene, Alfonso VI (with red cape) is swearing with his right hand on the Bible that he did not take part in the murder of his brother Sancho II , while El Cid stands as a witness in front of him. Sancho was assassinated in 1072, possibly as the result of a pact between his brother Alfonso and his sister Urraca . Since Sancho died unmarried and childless, all of his power passed to his brother Alfonso who, almost immediately, returned from exile in Toledo and took his seat as king of Castile and León. He was, however, deeply suspected of having been involved in Sancho’s murder.

According to the epic of El Cid, the Castilian nobility led by El Cid and a dozen “oath-helpers” forced Alfonso to swear publicly on holy relics multiple times in front of Santa Gadea ( Saint Agatha ) Church in Burgos that he did not participate in the plot to kill his brother. This is widely reported as truth, but contemporary documents on the lives of both Rodrigo Diaz and Alfonso VI of Castile and León do not mention any such event. Rodrigo’s position as armiger regis was taken away and given to Rodrigo’s enemy, Count García Ordóñez . In 1079, Rodrigo was sent by Alfonso VI to Seville to the court of al-Mutamid to collect the parias owed by that taifa to León–Castile. [9] While he was there Granada, assisted by other Castilian knights, attacked Seville, and Rodrigo and his forces repulsed the Christian and Grenadine attackers at the Battle of Cabra , in the (probably mistaken) belief that he was defending the king’s tributary.

Count García Ordóñez and the other Castilian leaders [10] were taken captive and held for three days before being released. [9] Exile In the Battle of Cabra (1079), El Cid rallied his troops and turned the battle into a rout of Emir Abdullah of Granada and his ally García Ordóñez. However, El Cid’s unauthorized expedition into Granada greatly angered Alfonso, and May 8, 1080, was the last time El Cid confirmed a document in King Alfonso’s court. This is the generally given reason for El Cid’s exile, although several others are plausible and may have been contributing factors: jealous nobles turning Alfonso against El Cid, Alfonso’s own animosity towards El Cid and an accusation of pocketing some of the tribute from Seville. At first he went to Barcelona, where Ramon Berenguer II (1076–1082) and Berenguer Ramon II (1076–1097) refused his offer of service.

Moorish service During his service to the Taifa of Zaragoza , he had gained a prominent reputation and the title El Cid (the Lord). He is also known to have developed links with the other Taifas in 1080. Detail of the Aljaferia palace , in the Taifa of Zaragoza The exile was not the end of El Cid, either physically or as an important figure. After being rejected by Ramon Berenguer II , El Cid journeyed to the Taifa of Zaragoza where he received a warmer welcome. In 1081, El Cid went on to offer his services to the Moorish king of the northeast Al-Andalus city of Zaragoza , Yusuf al-Mu’taman ibn Hud , and served both him and his successor, Al-Mustain II . He was given the title El Cid (The Master) and served as a leading figure in a diverse Moorish force consisting of Muladis , Berbers , Arabs and Malians .

According to Moorish accounts: Andalusian Knights found El Cid their foe ill, thirsty and exiled from the court of Alfonso , he was presented before the elderly Yusuf al-Mu’taman ibn Hud and accepted command of the forces of the Taifa of Zaragoza as their Master. In his History of Medieval Spain (Cornell University Press, 1975), Joseph F. O’Callaghan writes: That kingdom was divided between al-Mutamin (1081–1085) who ruled Zaragoza proper, and his brother al-Mundhir, who ruled Lérida and Tortosa . El Cid entered al-Mutamin’s service and successfully defended Zaragoza against the assaults of al-Mundhir, Sancho I of Aragón , and Ramon Berenguer II, whom he held captive briefly in 1082.

In 1084, The Army of the Taifa of Zaragoza under El Cid defeated the Aragonese at the Battle of Morella near Tortosa , but in autumn the Castilians started a loose siege of Toledo and later the next year the Christians captured Salamanca , a stronghold of the Taifa of Toledo . In 1087, Raymond of Burgundy and his Christian allies attempted to weaken the Taifa of Zaragoza ‘s northernmost stronghold by initiating the Siege of Tudela and Alfonso captured Aledo, Murcia blocking the route between the Taifas in eastern and western Iberia . Recall from exile El Cid ordering the execution of Almoravid allies after his conquest of Valencia in 1094 Battle of Quart de Poblet (21 October 1094). El Cid’s troops are in green, Almoravids troops are in red. Terrified after his crushing defeat, Alfonso recalled El Cid. It has been shown that El Cid was at court on July 1087; however, what happened after that is unclear. El Cid returned to Alfonso, but now he had his own plans.

He only stayed a short while and then returned to Zaragoza. El Cid was content to let the Almoravid armies and the armies of Alfonso fight without his help, even when there was a chance that the armies of Almoravid might defeat Alfonso and take over all of Alfonso’s lands. El Cid chose not fight because he was hoping that both armies would become weak. That would make it easier for him to carry out his own plan to become ruler of the Kingdom of Valencia. Conquest of Valencia Around this time, El Cid, with a combined Christian and Moorish army, began maneuvering in order to create his own fiefdom in the Moorish Mediterranean coastal city of Valencia . Several obstacles lay in his way. First was Berenguer Ramon II, who ruled nearby Barcelona . In May 1090, El Cid defeated and captured Berenguer in the Battle of Tébar (nowadays Pinar de Tévar, near Monroyo , Teruel ). Berenguer was later released and his nephew Ramon Berenguer III married El Cid’s youngest daughter Maria to ward against future conflicts.

Along the way to Valencia, El Cid also conquered other towns, many of which were near Valencia, such as El Puig and Quart de Poblet . El Cid gradually came to have more influence on Valencia, then ruled by Al-Qadir . In October 1092 an uprising occurred in Valencia inspired by the city’s chief judge Ibn Jahhaf and the Almoravids. El Cid began a siege of Valencia. A December 1093 attempt to break the siege failed. By the time the siege ended in May 1094, El Cid had carved out his own principality on the coast of the Mediterranean. Officially El Cid ruled in the name of Alfonso; in reality, El Cid was fully independent. The city was both Christian and Muslim, and both Moors and Christians served in the army and as administrators. Death Tomb of El Cid and his wife Doña Jimena at the Burgos Cathedral , 9 August 2012 El Cid and his wife Jimena Díaz lived peacefully in Valencia for five years until the Almoravids besieged the city. El Cid died on June 10, 1099.

[12] His death was likely a result of the famine and deprivations caused by the siege. [12] Valencia was captured by Masdali on May 5, 1102 and it did not become a Christian city again for over 125 years. Jimena fled to Burgos, Castile, in 1101. She rode into the town with her retinue and the body of El Cid. [12] Originally buried in Castile in the monastery of San Pedro de Cardeña, his body now lies at the center of Burgos Cathedral . Defeat After his demise, but still during the siege of Valencia, legend holds that Jimena ordered that the corpse of El Cid be fitted with his armor and set atop his horse Babieca, to bolster the morale of his troops. In several variations of the story, the dead Rodrigo and his knights win a thundering charge against Valencia’s besiegers, resulting in a war-is-lost-but-battle-is-won catharsis for generations of Christian Spaniards to follow.

It is believed that the legend originated shortly after Jimena entered Burgos, and that it is derived from the manner in which Jimena’s procession rode into Burgos, i.e., alongside her deceased husband. [12] Warrior and general Battle tactics During his campaigns, El Cid often ordered that books by classic Roman and Greek authors on military themes be read aloud to him and his troops, for both entertainment and inspiration before battle. El Cid’s army had a novel approach to planning strategy as well, holding what might be called brainstorming sessions before each battle to discuss tactics. They frequently used unexpected strategies, engaging in what modern generals would call psychological warfare — waiting for the enemy to be paralyzed with terror and then attacking them suddenly; distracting the enemy with a small group of soldiers, etc. (El Cid used this distraction in capturing the town of Castejón as depicted in Cantar de Mio Cid (The Song of my Cid). El Cid accepted or included suggestions from his troops.

In The Song the man who served him as his closest adviser was his vassal and kinsman Álvar Fáñez “Minaya” (meaning “My brother”, a compound word of Spanish possessive Mi (My) and Anaia, the basque word for brother), although the historical Álvar Fáñez remained in Castile with Alfonso VI. Taken together, these practices imply an educated and intelligent commander who was able to attract and inspire good subordinates, and who would have attracted considerable loyalty from his followers, including those who were not Christian. It is these qualities, coupled with El Cid’s legendary martial abilities, which have fueled his reputation as an outstanding battlefield commander. Babieca Tomb of Babieca at the monastery of San Pedro de Cardeña Babieca or Bavieca was El Cid’s warhorse . Several stories exist about El Cid and Babieca. One well-known legend about El Cid describes how he acquired the stallion . According to this story, Rodrigo’s godfather, Pedro El Grande, was a monk at a Carthusian monastery . Pedro’s coming-of-age gift to El Cid was his pick of a horse from an Andalusian herd.

El Cid picked a horse that his godfather thought was a weak, poor choice, causing the monk to exclaim “Babieca!” (stupid!) Hence, it became the name of El Cid’s horse. Another legend states that in a competition of battle to become King Sancho’s “Campeador”, or champion, a knight on horseback wished to challenge El Cid. The King wished a fair fight and gave El Cid his finest horse, Babieca, or Bavieca. This version says Babieca was raised in the royal stables of Seville and was a highly trained and loyal war horse, not a foolish stallion. The name in this instance could suggest that the horse came from the Babia region in León, Spain . In the poem Carmen Campidoctoris , Babieca appears as a gift from “a barbarian” to El Cid, so its name could also be derived from “Barbieca”, or “horse of the barbarian”.

Regardless, Babieca became a great warhorse, famous to the Christians , feared by El Cid’s enemies, and loved by El Cid, who allegedly requested that Babieca be buried with him in the monastery of San Pedro de Cardeña. His name is mentioned in several tales and historical documents about El Cid, including The Lay of El Cid. Swords El Cid’s sword , Tizona , was made in Moorish Córdoba and contains amounts of Damascus steel . [13] A weapon traditionally identified as El Cid’s sword , Tizona , used to be displayed in the Army Museum (Museo del Ejército) in Toledo. In 1999, a small sample of the blade underwent metallurgical analysis which confirmed that the blade was made in Moorish Córdoba in the eleventh century and contained amounts of Damascus steel . [13] In 2007, the Autonomous Community of Castile and León bought the sword for 1.6 million Euros , and it is currently on display at the Museum of Burgos . El Cid also had a sword called Colada .

Marriage and family El Cid depicted on the title page of a sixteenth-century working of his story El Cid was married in July 1075 to Alfonso’s kinswoman Jimena Díaz . The Historia Roderici calls her a daughter of a Count Diego Fernández de Oviedo . Tradition states that when El Cid first laid eyes on her, he was enamored by her great beauty. Together El Cid and Jimena had two daughters and a son. Their daughters Cristina and María both married into royal families; Cristina to Ramiro , Lord of Monzón , grandson of García Sánchez III of Navarre via an illegitimate son; María, first (it is said) to a prince of Aragon (presumably the son of Peter I ) and second to Ramon Berenguer III , count of Barcelona . El Cid’s son Diego Rodríguez was killed while fighting against the invading Muslim Almoravids from North Africa at the Battle of Consuegra in 1097.

El Cid’s own marriage and those of his daughters raised his status by connecting him to the peninsular royalty; even today, most European monarchs (including the current King of Spain) and many commoners of European ancestry descend from El Cid, through Cristina’s son, King García Ramírez of Navarre and to a lesser extent via Maria’s daughter, Jimena of Barcelona, who married Roger III, Count of Foix . El Cid in literature and music The figure of El Cid has been the source for many literary works, beginning with the Cantar del Mio Cid , an epic poem from the 12th century which gives a partly-fictionalized account of his life. This poem, along with similar later works such as the Mocedades de Rodrigo , contributed to portray El Cid as a chivalric hero of the Reconquista , making him a legendary figure in Spain. In the early 17th century the Spanish writer Guillén de Castro wrote a play called “Las Mocedades del Cid”, on which French playwright Pierre Corneille based one of his most famous tragicomedies, Le Cid .

He was also a popular source of inspiration for Spanish writers of the Romantic period , such as Juan Eugenio Hartzenbusch , who wrote “La Jura de Santa Gadea”, or José Zorrilla , who wrote a long poem called “La Leyenda del Cid”. Jules Massenet wrote in 1885 an opera based on Corneille´s play, also called Le Cid . In popular culture El Cid (1961) movie poster The 1960 short film, El destierro del Cid , is a documentary based on texts from the ‘Poema del Mio Cid’. The 1961 epic film , El Cid , was a romanticized story of the life of Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar where El Cid was portrayed by Charlton Heston . The 1980 animated television series Ruy, el pequeño Cid (“Ruy, the Little Cid”) told stories from El Cid’s youth. The 1983 comedy film, El Cid cabreador is a tongue-in-cheek spoof of the El Cid story.

The 2000 expansion for the video game Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings includes a campaign featuring El Cid. The 1999 album from Avalanch called Llanto de un Heroe a former Spanish renown band created a song Called “Cid” which denotes him as a hero for Spaniards The 2003 animated feature, El Cid: La leyenda , tells his story from childhood. The 2006 video game Medieval II: Total War has El Cid as a rebel general in Valencia . The 2010 video game Civilization V has El Cid as a Great General unit. The 2012 video game Crusader Kings II depicts El Cid as a landless courtier, though he can lead battles and gain titles for the player; he becomes Count of Valencia at 1095. The first chapter of the second season (2016) of the Spanish TV series El Ministerio del Tiempo focuses on the character El Cid. Gallery Cronica del muy efforcado cavallero el Cid ruy diaz campeador (1533) Secondary (not cited) Simon Barton and Richard Fletcher.

The world of El Cid, Chronicles of the Spanish reconquest. Manchester: University Press, 2000. ISBN 0-7190-5225-4 [ Amazon-US | Amazon-UK ] hardback, ISBN 0-7190-5226-2 [ Amazon-US | Amazon-UK ] paperback. Gonzalo Martínez Díez, “El Cid Histórico: Un Estudio Exhaustivo Sobre el Verdadero Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar”, Editorial Planeta (Spain, June 1999). ISBN 84-08-03161-9 [ Amazon-US | Amazon-UK ] C. Melville and A. Ubaydli (ed. and trans.), Christians and Moors in Spain, vol. III, Arabic sources (711–1501). (Warminster, 1992). Joseph F. O’Callaghan. A History of Medieval Spain. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1975 Peter Pierson. The History of Spain. Ed. John E. Findling and Frank W. Thacheray.

Wesport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1999. 34–36. Steven Thomas. 711–1492: Al-Andalus and the Reconquista. M. J. Trow,El Cid The Making of a Legend, Sutton Publishing Limited, 2007. Henry Edwards Watts. “The Story of El Cid (1026–1099)” in The Christian Recovery of Spain: The Story of Spain from the Moorish Conquest to the Fall of Grenada (711–1492 AD). New York: Putnam, 1894. 71–91. T.Y. Henderson. “Conquests Of Valencia” J. I. Garcia Alonso, J. A. Martinez, A. J. Criado, “Origin of El Cid’s sword revealed by ICP-MS metal analysis”, Spectroscopy Europe, 11/4 (1999). Εxternal links

Question: By what name was the Spanish nobleman Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar better known?
Answer: 'EL CID'